Lagos to hold local government elections

The Lagos State Government on Thursday assured that local government elections would be held in the state before the end of the year.

The State’s Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, Muslim Folami gave the assurance at the ongoing Ministerial Press Briefing to herald the first year in office of the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode administration.

“What I can only confirm and say categorically is that the local government election would be held this year,” Folami said.

The last local government elections in the state were held on October 22, 2011.

When asked when for the specific date when the elections would be held, Folami noted that a case on local government administrations was still in court and would not be able to give any specific date.

He said: “You will recall that there was a judgment on the administration of local governments, but the State Government appealed that judgment, so it is still in court now, therefore, I cannot say much more than this.”

Recall that the National Conscience Party had taken Lagos State Government and Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) to court for failing to conduct local council elections in the state after the tenure of the last elected chairmen elapsed on October 29, 2014.

Justice Abdulfatai Lawal of the Lagos High Court, on October 23, 2015, in his judgment ordered that council elections should hold within 30 days. He also ordered the dismantling of the caretaker committees in the 20 local government and 37 local council development areas, declaring such system as illegal and unconstitutional.

Dissatisfied, with the verdict of the court, Lagos State filed Notice of Appeal against the judgment and prayed the court to stay execution of the judgment pending the hearing and determination of its appeal before the Court of Appeal.